Overview

The nineteenth century witnessed a proliferation of alternative religious currents and practices, appropriating earlier traditions, entangling geographically distinct spiritual discourses, and crafting a repository of mindscapes eminently suitable to be accommodated by later generations of thinkers and practitioners. Penned by specialists in the field, this volume examines important themes and figures pertaining to this occult amalgam and its resonance into the twentieth century and beyond. Global guises of the occult, ranging from the Americas and Europe to India, are variously addressed, with special attention to the crucial role of mesmerism and the origins of modern yoga.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lukas Pokorny ,  Franz Winter
Publisher:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Imprint:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Edition:   1st ed. 2021
Weight:   0.719kg
ISBN:  

9783030553173

ISBN 10:   3030553175
Pages:   444
Publication Date:   10 January 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 1. Introductory Remarks Lukas Pokorny and Franz Winter Part I: Mesmerism 2. Carl August von Eschenmayer and the Somnambulic Soul Wouter J. Hanegraaff 3. Priest-doctors and Magnetisers: Mesmerism, Romantic Medicine, and Catholic Thought in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century Maren Sziede 4. Animal Magnetism and Its Psychological Implications in Hungary JúliaGyimesi 5. From Fluidum to Prāṇa: Reading Mesmerism through Orientalist Lenses Dominic S. Zoehrer   PartII: Occultism in America and Europe 6. Total Recall: The “Panoramic Life Review” near Death as Proof of the Soul’s Timeless Self-Presence in Western Esotericism of the Nineteenth Century Jens Schlieter 7. Stages in the Development of an Occult Linguistics Olav Hammer 8. The Art of Esoteric Posthumousness Marco Pasi 9. Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie and Sexual Regeneration John Patrick Deveney 10. The Theosophical Maitreya: On Benjamin Creme’s Millenarianism Lukas Pokorny 11. Martial Arts Spirituality in Sweden: The Occult Connection Per Faxneld Part III: Occultism in Global Perspective 12. A Study into a Transreligious Quest for the Ultimate Truth: Indian, Muslim, and European Interpretations of the Upanishads Franz Winter 13. Occult’s First Foot Soldier in Bengal: Peary Chand Mittra and the Early Theosophical Movement Mriganka Mukhopadhyay 14. Re-Imagining an Ancient Greek Philosopher: The Pythagorean Musings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) Almut-Barbara Renger 15. African and Amerindian Spirits: A Note on the Influence of Nineteenth Century Spiritism and Spiritualism on Afro- and African-American Religions Hans Gerald Hödl Part IV: Occultism and Modern Yoga 16. Sri Sabhapati Swami: The Forgotten Yogi of Western Esotericism Keith EdwardCantú 17. Tracing Vivekananda’s Prāṇa and Ākāśa: The Yogavāsiṣṭha and Rama Prasad’s Occult Science of Breath Magdalena Kraler 18. Guru and Messiah: On the First Yoga Handbook in Polish Language: Wincenty Lutosławski’sThe Development of the Power of Will by Means of Psychophysical Exercises (1909) MarlisLami    

Reviews

This impressive volume makes an important contribution to the understanding of occult concepts in the nineteenth century, their origins, and their influence on modern culture. ... The volume represents a compilation of highly original scholarship, being a valuable and muchrecommended addition to the study of occultism and esotericism. (Nicole Maria Bauer, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 47 (1), March, 2021)

Author Information

Lukas Pokorny is Professor and Chair in Religious Studies at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Austria.  Franz Winter is Professor of Religious Studies at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Graz, Austria.

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